Biometric authentication and biometric identification have become important processes for identifying and verifying the identity of a person. Biometric authentication and biometric identification include automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Among the features measured are face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, hand geometry, gait, DNA, retinal, vein, and voice.
Biometric authentication and biometric identification are becoming the foundation of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification systems. As the level of security breaches and transaction fraud increases, the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is becoming apparent. Biometric authentication is being utilized in a wide array of settings such as enterprise-wide network security infrastructures, government IDs, secure electronic banking, investing and other financial transactions, retail sales, law enforcement, and health and social services.
Biometric authentication and identification involve the comparison of a sample template and one or more stored templates. A template may be a synthesis of all the characteristics extracted from the source, in the optimal size to allow for adequate identifiability. Biometric authentication typically involves the use of a credential (a badge, a submitted name, etc.) and results in a 1 to 1 match. The subject's biometric template is retrieved via a lookup using the credential, and a biometric matching occurs between a sample template and the retrieved template. Biometric identification typically involves receiving a sample template without a credential. In biometric identification, exhaustive matching (1 to n) is performed to identify the candidate from a database of templates without having a credential to narrow possible candidates.
However, in typical biometrics identification, the stored templates can be numerous. As such, the template comparison can take a significant amount of time as each stored template is retrieved and compared. Thus, there is a need in the art for a mechanism to provide streamlined and efficient biometrics identification and biometrics authentication.